Mentally Ill Hijacker Kills Self in Jail
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PARIS — A former Italian policeman accused of hijacking two airplanes, including a flight that landed safely in France last month, hanged himself in his cell, prosecutors said Saturday.
Stefano Savorani, 29, had a history of mental illness. Guards discovered his body shortly after midnight Friday.
Savorani had been held in the eastern French city of Lyon since the Nov. 27 hijacking attempt, during which he claimed to be a member of Al Qaeda.
On the flight from Bologna, Italy, to Paris, Savorani brandished a TV remote control he said was connected to a bomb. The plane landed safely in Lyon, and Savorani surrendered after releasing the passengers and crew. No explosives were found.
A Lyon judge placed Savorani under investigation, and psychiatric experts were to determine if he was fit to stand trial.
The Italian news agency ANSA has quoted his mother as saying her son was in treatment for schizophrenia. Because of his mental problems, a court did not press charges against Savorani after his first hijack attempt in 1999.
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